In official documents Charles Nevill was always spelt without a final ‘e’ and this style has been followed. Sometimes references to other members of the Nevill family have included the ‘e’.

Browsing through dusty records and documents that may not have seen the light of day for a many years can reveal some very interesting facts and there is always a sense of achievement when a royal connection can be made to a particular local family.

Major Francis Jones, CVO, TD, DL, FSA, MA, KStJ, Wales Herald Extraordinary and one time Archivist at the National Library of Wales, carried out many historical researches, including the pedigrees of dozens of famous and not so famous families, from Kings and Queens to gentlemen, esquires, yeomen and entrepreneurs. The Carmarthenshire Public Records Office [CPRO] holds details of many of the pedigree researches he carried out and one such pedigree is that of the Nevill family of Llanelli.

The Vaughan and Stepney family histories, and the business activities of the Nevill family have been well documented but the Nevill family tree is not so well known.

It is common knowledge that the Vaughan and Stepney families have Royal connections but what is not generally appreciated is that the Nevills of Llanelli can claim descent from Edward III through John of Gaunt and his daughter Joan of Gaunt.

Although the Vaughans and Stepneys held the land that had once belonged to John of Gaunt and his Duchy of Lancaster, it was the Duke’s descendants, Charles Nevill Senior and Richard Janion Nevill, who, through their connection with the Copperworks, controlled the town socially and financially in the 19th century.